


Out of the Deep

by TowardTheStars



Series: Elemental [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Angst, Death Eaters, Diary/Journal, Drama, Escape, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Imprisonment, M/M, Marine Biologist Severus Snape, Merman Sirius Black, Minor Violence, POV Alternating, Romance, Telepathy, mermaid, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:27:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28253139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TowardTheStars/pseuds/TowardTheStars
Summary: In the shallows, you die. In the deep, you survive.The tales of fin-kin disappearing in the twinkling aquamarine light cement the warnings. You venture into the shallows, and you never return.
Relationships: Lily Evans Potter & Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy & Severus Snape, Sirius Black & James Potter, Sirius Black & Lucius Malfoy, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & Peter Pettigrew & James Potter, Sirius Black/Severus Snape
Series: Elemental [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2069670
Comments: 8
Kudos: 28
Collections: BlackPrince Secret Santa Gift Exchange 2020





	Out of the Deep

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WolfyWordWeaver](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfyWordWeaver/gifts).



> Hello and happy holidays! This is written as a Secret Santa gift for WolfyWordWeaver with the prompt of Merman/Siren AU. 
> 
> I took great inspiration from a phenomenal Dean/Castiel work by riseofthefallenone - also named Out of the Deep. I want to credit them for providing the framework for this story and encourage everyone to check out their fic in turn. 
> 
> With that, I hope you all enjoy!

_5/16 – Coast of England_

_Lily had recommended I maintain a journal for this expedition – both to stave off boredom and prevent myself from going insane. She has the belief that spending four months on a ship is enough to drive anyone mad, and I have yet to prove her otherwise._

_So far, I don’t feel the heated grip of insanity, but the ocean is an endless, consuming body, and between the sky and the sea, the world grows almost too blue for the one to bear. Still, the weather has been good, the journey easy, but the crew uncertain of me._

_Lucius assures me not to worry – a scientist in the midst of sailors should not fret over any loss of companionship. Fortunately, I am more than comfortable spending time alone._

_We have rounded Ireland and now cut into the North Atlantic Sea. Land has been lost, but the ocean awaits._

_And – if I am lucky – I will find the sea life I so hope will yield pharmaceutical benefits. Lucius’s sponsor – the elusive Mr. Riddle – has approved my role on the ship in the hope that I can isolate medically beneficial algae or coral bloom. However, beyond that, I have been kept in the dark on the true purpose of this expedition. Lucius tells me it is protocol. Mr. Riddle does not want his plans or intentions escaping to his competitors. He is not a trusting man, which I cannot blame him for. Regardless of the secrecy surrounding the true purpose of this ship, I am still allowed to conduct my experiments – a de facto Charles Darwin, if I am to be so bold._

_Hopefully, this expedition proves successful for all parties involved. And – like Lily is so worried about – I maintain my sanity._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Stay in the deep. Never go into the shallows.

This is the mantra Sirius has heard countless times, ever since a youngling in his colony.

In the Deep. Out of the Shallows.

The tales of fin-kin disappearing in the twinkling aquamarine light cement the warnings. You venture into the shallows, and you never return.

When he was younger and reckless, James and he had swum to the line in the water where the bioluminescence from their tails competed with the light from above. They had stared out into the endless blue and wondered about the horrors residing in the shallows. They remembered the stories used to scare the younglings – the horrific two-fin monsters from above. The creatures of screaming metal that fight and sink into the endless deeps.

James had dared him to go farther, but despite Sirius’s need to impress James, he refused. He laughed to mask his fear, and they retreated to the deep.

In the shallows, you die. In the deep, you survive.

Dutifully, Sirius had avoided the shallows. He avoided the shallows as he matured and trained as a warrior. He avoided the shallows as he went off to war, teeth-bared and hungry for blood. He avoided the shallows as he fought one war and then another. He stayed in the deep, and in the deep, he survived.

That is until their leader orders his warrior-brothers on a mission. A reconnaissance. Their rival colony has cut into the light-beds. They plan to attack from above, desiring the prime location of Sirius’s colony, wedged as it is against the base of a dormant volcano. It is for Sirius and his warrior-brothers, James, Remus, and Peter, to deter. The shallows remain too dangerous for all but the bravest of warriors. It is too dangerous for all but them.

They swim upwards into the light-beds. The bioluminescence from their tails fade as they near the surface, the water growing warmer and their eyes adjusting to the influx of light. Peter trails behind nervously, but Sirius and James push onward. They know what they must do, even in the dangers of the shallows.

They reach the coral beds. Swarms of colorful fish dart around the water, the light gleaming off their fins in a dazzling array. Sirius stares in awe; the deep does not possess such colors, and he cannot take it in fast enough. James pauses beside him, hand outreached to greet a curious fish.

For once, Sirius doubts what the nest-mothers told his kin. The shallows do not look dangerous. If anything, they bloom with color and life. The light-beds shine with beauty; danger cannot lurk here.

They still proceed cautiously, navigating through the maze of coral. Their enemies are of a cunning nature and an ambush likely. While Sirius and his warrior-brothers are stronger, they cannot grow over-confident and foolish. More so, despite the shallows existing as a place of beauty, Sirius cannot dispel his unease. All stories contain a grain of truth, and he worries about what else the light-beds may contain.

They swim for some time until Remus holds up his hand. Using their mind-link, Sirius reaches out to him. ( _What?)_

_(Two-tails)_ Remus replies, and the four of them dart over to the shoal of coral, hiding behind the elaborate structure. They stare out, searching the water. The two-tails live in their legends, and the fact that they exist – these two-tailed, black, sleek creatures that blow out bubbles and live without fins – shakes Sirius to his core.

He sees them, two figures swimming among the coral. They are as strange as he would have expected with blocky protrusions on their back and protruding eyes. Sirius watches raptly as they swim away.

( _Did you see that!)_ Peter gasps, their mind-links thrumming with excitement. It takes James a long moment to focus them back on their mission. They turn away from the two-tails and continue forward, still thrumming with shock and awe. Remus fills the mind-link with endless questions about creatures, and while James communicates his frustration at their distractedness, he can’t hide his wonder.

They swim father into the shallows, and while Sirius half-hopes they will run into the two-tails again, he knows they must find the enemy fin-kins and fight them off. He remains braced for an attack, fins sleeked back.

It catches him off-guard – not the battle scream of a warrior fin-kin or the smooth disturbance of a fin-kin cutting through the water.

No – it’s the sudden catch in his back, the scream of fear from Remus, and then the darkness that swarms his vision and drags him someplace deep.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

_6/04_

_I must say I do not miss the cold, gray brackishness of the North Atlantic. We had enough days of miserable drizzles of rain for any expedition. And so, the sun-soaked Caribbean greeted us like a lover, promising beauty and pleasure._

_I have grown more than content to bring my journals to the foredeck and lounge in the sun while sketching and theorizing over the plants and life I have collected thus far. While the Atlantic Ocean contained little life on its surface, the Caribbean has yielded a wealth of coral and sea creatures. The coral, especially, looks promising with its medicinal value._

_The mood, however, is not felt by all. Lucius has grown increasingly agitated. He has grown testy, mistakes and dissent are not tolerated. He spends a lot of time with our divers, quieting when others approach them. I believe we are nearing the true purpose of this mission, and that failure, on Lucius’s part, is unacceptable. I only wish they would tell me what they hope to achieve._

_Regardless, I am still fortunate to have been allowed to join this expedition. Like I have mentioned, my research has – there is a commotion from outside. I must go._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sirius awakes groggily, mouth tasting like stale sea brine and head pounding behind his temples. Something feels off, but it takes him a moment to orient himself. When he realizes, his fins flare out. He makes a choking sound, writhing on the cold slab he has found himself on.

He’s out of the water. The _air_ is cool against his skin, and he panics because suddenly he can’t breathe. His gills flounder uselessly, and the panic grows acute with the loss of the ocean. There’s commotion around him, but he doesn’t notice as he feels himself start to die.

There’s a pinprick of pain on his upper arm, and the alarm suddenly abates. Everything grows soft and distant. He begins to breathe slowly out of his mouth as his body suddenly knows what to do. His head rocks like an ocean current, drifting farther away with each sway.

He shuts his eyes and once again, swims through the deep.

The next time he wakes, he doesn’t panic like before. He does, though, keep his eyes shut as he takes in his situation. Something cold binds his wrists and arms down to the table. Something else straps his tail down. He’s breathing, but it’s through his mouth and not his gills. He reaches out with his mind-link but can’t sense any other fin-kin. He worries over James, Remus, and Peter, but, as far as he can tell, they are not near him. That brings him some relief, even if his isolation frightens him.

After he manages to collect himself, he opens his eyes and looks upward. There’s no sky and no water. He scans the area, but everything is alien to him – cold metals and harsh light. He hates it to his core, and the urge to escape grinds into his skin.

The room remains silent, and then a part of the wall swings open, and four two-tails walk in. One has light blonde hair, haughty blue eyes, and a knowing smirk. Sirius immediately hates him. The second two-tail is bulky with close-cropped brown hair, the third short and wiry. The fourth makes him pause.

The fourth stares at him agape, black eyes wide and reverent. He has shoulder-length black hair and a crook of a nose. He feels gentler than the others. More fin-kin.

Sirius bares his teeth at them and fans out his fins aggressively. The blonde looks delighted, and Sirius itches underneath his gaze.

“Marvelous,” the man says. “Simply marvelous.” Sirius doesn’t like his tone and begins to growl from deep in his throat.

“It’s impossible-,” the dark-haired man says. “I didn’t know-this is incredible, Lucius. This is-.”

The man named Lucius waves the dark-haired man silent. Sirius glances between the two of them and tries to understand who they are and what they want from him. Everything he can think of so far frightens him.

Lucius walks closer and smiles down at Sirius. “Hello. I’m Lucius Malfoy. And you are?”

Sirius growls at him, but Lucius only laughs.

“I’ll have to train that out of you. No worries, of course. Do you understand what I am saying?”

Sirius does, but he doesn’t give any indication that he can understand the sounds the two-tails make with their mouths. He frankly doesn’t know how he understands the two-tails, but he does feel a gentle pulsing from his mind-link. It’s not a full connection, but it’s enough, apparently, to decipher the sounds.

Lucius waits for a response, and when Sirius gives him none, he continues. “Pity,” he directs to the crewmen. “Wish it would have been intelligent.”

The dark-haired man leaps at his, “Lucius, he may be intelligent. Just because he doesn’t speak our language – I mean, how would he speak English? I’m sure he has his own communicative method. We may have to use body language. Here,” the man says, stepping forward. Sirius eyes him warily, but the man approaches him cautiously and, Sirius notes, deferentially. He has his head leaned back slightly as if barring his throat. Sirius cocks his head at the passive stance.

The man points at himself. “Severus,” he says. He repeats the action, and Sirius watches him, keeping his expression blank as the man points at him expectantly. Sirius doesn’t respond, and Lucius frowns.

“Another stupid fish. Really, Severus-.”

“Sirius,” Sirius rasps out, mostly because he’s not another stupid fish. Severus smiles excitedly, and Lucius pauses and considers Sirius again.

Severus points at himself, repeats his name, and then does the same to Sirius. Sirius nods, and Severus practically bounces on the balls of his feet.

“Intelligent, Lucius! This is incredible, truly ground-breaking. For science, this is-.”

“This isn’t for science, Severus,” Lucius interrupts coldly. Severus falters and looks confused.

“It’s not? But what else? Lucius, this is a new species and an intelligent one at that. There’s so much we can learn from him. Just think about their language and culture and family structures, if they even have family structures-.”

“Severus, you misunderstand,” Lucius interjects just as coldly. Severus blinks and rubs his palms against his thighs.

“Then what-,” he begins to ask, gaze flickering over to Sirius.

“Mr. Riddle has paid quite a bit of money for this fish. He wishes, you understand, for a pet.”

Severus stares stupidly at Lucius, and Sirius’s fins shudder at the word. He shuts his eyes, growls low in his throat, and wishes for the cool escape of the ocean.

“You’re not being serious,” Severus states. “Lucius, what are you-.”

“We can discuss this later,” Lucius explains tightly, something cruel hidden in his voice. Sirius waits for the dark-haired man to respond, but he remains silent. It bodes poorly, so Sirius funnels his gut-twisting fear into a low, harsh growling.

He hears movement and opens his eyes to see Lucius peering at him, his thin lips pulled into a victorious smile. It unnerves Sirius, and he suppresses his whine. Instead, he bares his teeth. Lucius seems amused at the gesture and reaches out with his hand to stroke across Sirius’s forehead.

The cold fingers feel like they draw life out of Sirius, so he twists in an attempt to bite the man’s hand off. The bindings prevent him from doing so, and Lucius keeps his hand in Sirius’s hair for several moments longer as if to gloat at Sirius’s helplessness. Sirius struggles and growls until he feels a prick on his inner arm, and the world once again sinks into darkness.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

_6/04_

_I simply don’t know what to say. I simply – the purpose of this expedition, it seems, was to capture a mermaid. An actual mermaid. Or, I suppose, merman. A merman from the myths we shared as children, from the absurd monkey-fish creatures that captured people’s imaginations in the 19 th century, from the magical realm that a man of science has never believed in. _

_Yes, he is here – Lucius insists in referring to him as an ‘it,’ which I find to be another awful, awful thing I’ve faced in these past few hours. HE is not an it. HE is intelligent. HE likely has a family, kin, some familial network and people who will miss him. HE does not deserve to be kept as a pet – as a slave for some aristocrat’s cocktail parties. HE -._

_I don’t know what I can do._

_Oh, Lily, what can I do?_

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next time Sirius wakes, he finds himself on the floor, no longer bound and seemingly free. This room is much larger, and while he sees two-tails in the corner of the room, they haven’t noticed he’s conscious. He has a limited set of options, but he knows what he must do.

He must escape. He cannot remain a prisoner.

He is still out of the water, and while he continues to breathe through his mouth, the feeling of air on his skin is starkly painful. His lips have grown chapped, and his mouth dry and dusty. He craves the feel of the ocean against his skin – something he would never have thought he could ever miss.

He can’t move as the two-tails can; his tail rests uselessly and heavily behind him. However, he still must try. He drags himself up on his forearms, pulling himself forward with each lunge of his body. He tries to move stealthily, and so far the two-tails haven’t noticed him. He isn’t sure what will happen once he gets out of this room, but he can’t think of that now.

He pulls himself forward and smacks into an invisible wall. He hisses out in surprise and pain, drawing the attention of the two-tails. He tries again, but the invisible wall remains. He runs his hands along it but can’t find the end. The two-tails laugh, and one – the short one from earlier – climbs on some metal structure beside him. He holds something rectangular in his hand, but Sirius doesn’t know what it is. He watches it warily and hears a shout from what he thinks is the dark-haired man. The short man laughs before twitching his finger.

Suddenly, Sirius alights with pain. He screams at the electric shock and blunt, burning force on his back. His eyes roll back in his head, and he fades into darkness yet again.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

_6/05_

_Oh Lily, you have become my conscious here in this ship of monsters. I speak to you as I watch Mucliber tase Sirius – that’s his name, did you know that? Sirius as in the star. He knows my name too, Lily._

_Mucliber tasered him. He was trying to escape, Lily. He must not have known what glass was, but he still tried to get out. And then we tasered him._

_Oh, Lily, this cannot last._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sirius wakes again. He wants it to stop. He wishes to remain asleep, someplace deep and dark where thoughts remain elusive. He hears his colony’s call in the depths of his mind, and he yearns to return home.

This time, however, he feels water against his skin. For a moment, his soul trills – he is free! He has returned to the ocean! Yet, when he opens his eyes, he is still in the grey room, and his ocean has shrunk to a box. He swims around it agitated, pressing against the invisible walls. He sings a song of distress: a sharp, pained sound from the back of his throat.

He starts to smack himself against the walls, overwhelmed with the need to escape. The pain offers an outlet, so he slams himself against the wall again and again. The dark-haired man runs over to him and gestures for him to stop, but Sirius ignores him. He throws himself even harder against the invisible walls. Maybe if he hits it hard enough it will break. The man continues to yell, but Sirius continues to ignore him. He needs to be free – stop yelling – let me out – ( _LET ME OUT)._

He screams the last part, trying to get the dark-haired man – Severus – to stop yelling at him. It works because the man stops suddenly and gapes at Sirius. Sirius bares his teeth and fans his fins aggressively. The man takes a step back.

Sirius hears something, and for a moment, it makes him dizzy with hope. There’s a faint noise in his head, reminiscent of a mind-link. Maybe his colony has come to save him! He reaches out for it.

_(I’m here! Please, please get me out.)_

“I – what’s happening?” Severus says, staring at Sirius. Sirius stares back, and slowly it starts to click.

_(You can hear me?_ )

“Yes, yes, I-.”

_(Think it)_ Sirius orders because he doesn’t want anyone else knowing he can speak to them. He didn’t even know he could, and he didn’t intend to. These two-tails are cruel, and he knows they’ll try to exploit this.

_(Sirius_ ) the man thinks far too hard. ( _You can understand – is this-?)_

_(This is a mind-link)_ Sirius explains, ( _I can hear you in my thoughts. We communicate like this.)_

_(We?)_ The man asks, ( _Are there others? You must have others right?)_

Sirius responds with a frosty silence because he won’t reveal his colony to these monsters. He would rather die than betray his brothers.

The man seems to realize that because guilt sinks into his features. ( _I’m sorry. This isn’t – this isn’t what I wanted. I didn’t know this was happening.)_

Sirius snorts and ruffles his fins derisively. The man winces as he picks up on Sirius’s scorn.

_(I’m a scientist. I study plants in the ocean. To see how they can heal people. I didn’t know this was what Lucius wanted. And I’m sorry. I truly am.)_

Sirius bares his teeth and turns away. This was a mistake, he decides. There is nothing he wants to hear from this two-legs. He prepares to cut off the mind-link when Severus speaks again.

_(I’m going to get you out.)_

_(What?)_

_(I’m going to get you out. You’re not a pet, Sirius. You’re not something to be caged away. I – you’re incredible, Sirius, and I’m not letting Lucius keep you. Or do whatever he wants to do to you. You understand? I wish – I wish we could have met properly. To learn about each other – not, not in a bad way. But in a way to better both of us.)_

_(You are evil,)_ Sirius states because it’s true.

The man looks resigned. ( _Yes, I think we are.)_

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

_6/06_

_These past few days have changed everything I had thought I known. It has shattered my long-standing scientific beliefs. It has also exposed me to the depravity of this mission, the greed of someone I once revered, and my own – fortunately – aversion to the imprisonment of intelligent beings._

_Sirius is remarkable – a creature of beauty that I yearn to understand. A dark, sicker part of myself wishes to keep him. I can hear the desire humming in the crevices of my heart. Research on him would posit me as a leader in marine biology; it would unearth a world previously unknown._

_It is a temptation, but I refuse to be tempted. Besides, Sirius is not intended – or meant – for a lab. Lucius and Riddle seek to imprison him as a party spectacle. A pet to amuse the whims of the wealthy. I can only imagine they will break his spirit and destroy his will. He views us as evil, and he is not wrong._

_Even if I could study him, it would be inhumane in these conditions. A violation of my ethics. A corruption of the wonder in which I regard science. So no, I will not do so._

_Or…oh, that might be an idea._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The man returns, stepping up to the tank and watching Sirius warily. Sirius drifts in the stale water, his gills fluttering weakly. He can sense the man trying to reach out to him, the concertation line between his eyebrows deepening. Sirius is relieved to know that these two-legs can’t force themselves into his head. It provides the smallest sliver of control in his prison.

The band they placed around his neck irritates his throat as he swallows. He’s not sure what it means, but when he had tried to take it off, they had shot him with electricity again. He winces at the feeling of seared flesh on his back. It burns, but these two-tails have provided no medical treatment. He had also bruised himself from hitting the invisible walls, but he enjoys feeling _something_ in this dead water.

The band, itself, is green. It rests snuggly around his throat, and he pulls at it absent-mindedly as he reconnects the mind link.

_(What do you want?)_ He growls, causing the man to step back in alarm.

_(I –)_ he stutters, the connection initially weak. ( _I have an idea. Of how to get you out.)_

Sirius regards him and waits for him to speak again.

_(I – I only have to get you overboard right? You can get yourself home then? We’ve been staying near the coral reef where we found you in case Lucius can capture another.)_

Sirius spikes with anxiety, the emotion jagging through the mind-link. Severus scrunches his face in pain and gasps out.

_(We haven’t found another. Only you.)_

A wave of relief crashes over Sirius. He circles the tank, needing to rid himself of his pent-up energy.

_(What idea?)_

The man appears to steady himself. ( _I’m a scientist. I study living things. Marine life. It – I can pretend to do an experiment on you. A surgery. I’ll get you out of the tank, and I can get you overboard. You’ll – you’ll have to trust me.)_

Sirius snarls and the man nods as if he had expected that response. ( _I understand. You have no reason to do so. But I don’t know what else to do. You need to get home, Sirius.)_

_(Yes)_ Sirius whispers, not meaning to respond with such desperate yearning. The man stares at him sadly, so Sirius turns away. ( _When?)_

_(Tomorrow afternoon. I need to think this over some more. I’m sorry, Sirius)_ the man apologizes again. Sirius remains quiet, and eventually, the man leaves.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

_6/07_

_I have thought it over. They will likely send a guard with me, but there is chloroform in the surgery room. If I can knock him out, hurry Sirius out, the lift will take him to the deck, and I’ll just need to push him over. They will have guards up there and cameras, but if I’m quick enough, it shouldn’t matter. Once Sirius is in the water, he’s gone. Free. As it should be._

_I will, inversely, not be free. Lucius will surely imprison me, and I will face charges. This could ruin my life, and, honestly, it frightens me. Complacency is far easier. However, any legal consequence pales in consideration to having to live every day knowing that Sirius is stuck in some gilded tank. I have years to deal with the consequences. Sirius only has a few days before escape becomes futile._

_Dear lord, this may be my death sentence. But what else can I do?_

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sirius spends the day swimming circles around his tank, ignoring the leery glances of Lucius and the other two-tails. They talk in victorious tones, but Sirius does his best to blocks them out.

Later in the day, Lucius and the men leave. Severus appears a few minutes later, carrying a bag. Sirius watches him as he crosses the room.

_(Can I ask you something?)_ Sirius says, uncomfortable with his ignorance. He had seen the men gesturing towards their own necks and laughing. Severus nods. ( _What is this?)_ He gestures towards his neck, and Severus blinks in alarm.

_(You don’t know? Oh – it’s a collar. To signify ownership.)_ Severus says this guiltily and averts his gaze. Sirius has never been owned by someone before, and it tears apart something in him. His mind flares with rage, but fear of the electricity prevents him from ripping it off. He leaves it on, worsening his humiliation and shame.

Severus seems to understand his pain, so he remains quiet for a few moments to allow Sirius time to process. He waits for Sirius to speak, and finally, Sirius reaches back out to him.

_(What do you want?)_

_(I brought medicine. To help your back. I’ll need to – can I help you, Sirius? Is that alright? I won’t if you don’t want me to.)_

_(Medicine?)_

_(Yes, it’s an antibiotic. It’ll stop the injury on your back from getting worse. I can’t bandage it because of the water, but it should help.)_

Sirius considers his request. He sinks to the bottom of the tank to look at the man. ( _I don’t trust you.)_

The man sighs. ( _I know. But here – I’m going to trust you. And if you still don’t want it, I won’t.)_

Sirius fills the mind-link with curiosity over the man’s statement, but Severus doesn’t respond. Instead, he climbs the ladder that borders the invisible wall. He places the bag down at the top. Sirius looks at him, waiting for something to happen. He isn’t sure what Severus means. How can Severus trust _him_? He can do nothing; he has no power.

Severus jumping into the water startles Sirius so badly that he has to tamp down on his instincts to attack. Severus plunges into the water, his clothes ballooning around him. His hair drifts, haloing his head. He opens his eyes and meets Sirius’s gaze, and Sirius understands.

Severus, by entering the water, has forfeited all the power the two-legs possess on land. He has made himself powerless and put himself at Sirius’s mercy. Sirius could maim him. Kill him. And yet – Severus had trusted him not to. He had trusted Sirius despite the danger, and Sirius, staring at the stupid two-legs bobbing in the water, knows he will not harm him.

No – instead, he will trust him. He will, he thinks, do as Severus says, and he will trust that this strange two-legs will not hurt him.

It’s stupid and irrational, but the sight of the man submerged in front of him solidifies his decision.

He helps Severus out of the water; the man beams as he sits sopping wet on the grate. ( _I really thought you might have killed me. And rightfully so,)_ the man adds, his relief palpable.

Sirius snorts in amusement. ( _Are all two-legs as crazy as you?)_

Severus huffs out a laugh. ( _No, unfortunately.)_ He rummages through his bag and pulls out some tubes. _(Is it okay if I see your back?)_

Sirius tamps down on his lingering distrust and nods. He twists himself around so that his back faces Severus and grits his teeth. Even if he has decided to trust the man, he still feels uneasy. He doesn’t know what Severus will do to him, and he braces himself for it to hurt.

Severus taps him on his shoulder, so Sirius cranes his head to look at him. Severus gestures slowly, pushing something viscous out of the tube and smearing it on to his own skin. It doesn’t seem to hurt Severus, and it helps unclench the hard knot of nerves in Sirius’s stomach.

He still flinches when he feels Severus’s fingers on his back, tracing around his dorsal fin. The action is intimate to the point of discomfort, but he doesn’t move away. Severus moves carefully, surprisingly gentle for all the brutality Sirius has experienced at the hand of the two-legs. The cream is cold and soothing, relieving some of the burn in his back. Their mind-link pulses with comfort and trust and Sirius surprises himself when he leans back into the touch. He has no reason to like this two-legs, but he _does._ He is unlike the others and far kinder.

The fact he feels concerned for the two-legs startles him. He pulls away suddenly and sinks to the bottom of the tank. He watches as the man packs away his equipment. Severus glances down at him and frowns.

_(What’s wrong? Does it still hurt?)_

Sirius shakes his head. (W _hat will happen to you?)_

_(Huh?)_

_(After you get me out?)_

_(Oh. I…well, Lucius won’t be happy.)_

_(Will they hurt you?)_

_(I don’t think so. But they’ll lock me up. I should be able to get out. It’ll be alright, Sirius.)_ Sirius floods the mind-link with worry, taking Severus back by surprise. ( _Please don’t worry. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do this.)_

Sirius fans his fins in agitation. He still doesn’t like of idea of this two-legs coming to harm. Especially over him. ( _I…come back.)_

_(Hmm?)_

Sirius swims around the bottom of the tank and thinks over what he wants to say. He knows, deep down, what he wants. It frightens him, but his concern pulses deep in his chest.

_(Come back. So I can know you’re okay.)_

Severus’s mouth falls open, and he struggles to respond. ( _Here? I can, but are you sure? Will you be able to find me?)_

_(Yes, Severus. I will.)_

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

_6/08_

_I will keep this brief for who knows where I will be at the end of today. I spent a sleepless night running through the plan again and again. I cannot ensure success; luck plays a far too important role. I pray the odds are on my side. I pray I can get Sirius home, even if I may have to sacrifice myself._

_Lily – if they give you this journal, please know that I tried my best._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sirius isn’t sure how Severus managed to convince Lucius or if he even did. Regardless, he shows up pushing the hard metal table. The one named Mucliber strolls in behind him, scowling.

Sirius reaches out to him with his mind-link. Severus gently instructs him to resist, but not to the point of needing to be hurt. Sirius puts on a show and then, as told by Severus, pretends to go limp when Severus presses a needle against his skin. It doesn’t pierce him, so Sirius remains cognizant.

Severus comforts him as Mucliber drags him roughly from the water and throws him on the table. He clings to the feeling of Severus through the mind-link and ignores the fear coiling in his stomach.

He can sense the anxiety pulsing off Severus, but Mucliber appears not to notice. They walk silently to the infirmary, Sirius limp on the table and breathing raggedly through his mouth.

They enter the infirmary, Mucliber grumbling something under his breath. Severus wheels Sirius to the middle of the room and then turns to the table, slipping out of Sirius’s line of vision. He returns, holding a cloth in his hand. He walks over to Mucliber, saying something about Sirius when he jolts out to lunge onto Mucliber’s back. He presses the cloth against his mouth. Mucliber struggles, trying to knock Severus off, but Severus remains strong. Mucliber’s efforts weaken, and he finally collapses with Severus on his back.

Severus stands up and hurries over to Sirius. ( _Stay with me, Sirius. We’re almost there.)_ Sirius responds in agreement, the growing sense of hope too dangerous for him to bear. ( _Also,)_ Severus says suddenly, pulling at the band on Sirius’s neck and ripping it off. ( _You don’t belong to anyone, Sirius.)_

Sirius hums in appreciation, causing Severus to smile. ( _C’mon, let’s get you out of here.)_

Severus pushes Sirius hurriedly out of the room and into a small box. It moves them upward, the doors dinging open. Severus braces as the door opens, but no one greets them. The smell of salt water fills Sirius’s senses, and he cries out with hope. The deck is there – the bars that line the rim of the ship -.

People start shouting as Severus starts to run. Alarms blare. Sirius writhes on the table, desperate to get over the edge. Severus moves quickly, sprinting over to the edge of the deck. He digs his arms underneath Sirius, breathing heavily as he tries to heft him over the edge. The shouts intensify, and loud bangs rip out in the air. Severus cries out, blood splattering out of his shoulder. Pain ravages their mind-link, and Sirius reaches out to Severus.

_(I trust you_!) he yells, not knowing what else to say. Severus looks over to meet his gaze.

_(Be free, Sirius!)_ he shouts back. With one final effort, he lifts up Sirius and pushes him over the edge.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sirius swims in the deeps and avoids the shallows. He knows now, more than anyone, not to trust the shallows.

Stay in the deep. Never go into the shallows.

Still, Sirius will swim to the brink of the shallows. It causes fear to wash over his throat, the water pressing against him on all sides. He panics on the border, but he continues to go.

Time passes differently in the depths, so he doesn’t know how long it’s been. He continues to go, swimming upward, despite the concerns of his colony.

He rests on the edge, the sunlight just barely starting to compete with the bioluminescence of his tail. He should be scared. He _is_ scared. Yet he continues to go.

He calls out into the shallows, his mind-link reaching as far as he can manage. He hears nothing, the ocean silent except for the rhythm of the currents. He calls out again and again but to no avail. Yet he continues to go.

James wants him to stop. He doesn’t understand this obsession. He can’t fathom how Sirius could feel any concern for the two-legs who imprisoned him. He doesn’t understand, though, that Sirius will never not feel sick with guilt and concern over that strange two-legs. He knows that Severus risked everything freeing him. He knows Severus didn’t need to do so. He owes that two-legs more than he could ever express to James or the other fin-kin.

He continues to go, growing older as time passes. The shallows remain silent, the sunlight mocking. He wonders if he should give up. He wonders if he should recklessly swim into the shallows and forgo the depths and his colony. He doesn’t know what to do. Yet he continues to go.

He has long given up hope that he would ever hear Severus reaching out to him through the shallows when he feels a slight disturbance in the mind-link. It’s a shout, but dim and quiet. He thinks it's James for a moment, and almost turns back in resignation when he pauses.

He cranes the link, presses further into the shallows, and -.

_(Sirius!)_ Severus cries out, ( _Sirius! I came back!)_

Sirius doesn’t hesitate as he swims into the shallows.

**Author's Note:**

> I had to provide that hopeful ending - and am pretty proud of myself for only going slightly over the 6k word cap. I have found myself turning several stories I had planned for 6k into 25k+, with the detriment that I have too many plot ideas and not enough time. Therefore, I'm very happy I could get this one done without going crazy (even though I was tempted to).
> 
> Wolfy - I hope you enjoyed my little story for you. I had a great time writing it and loved this little world I created. 
> 
> With that, I wish everyone a wonderful holidays and a fantastic new year. Here's to things ending well and starting anew even better. 
> 
> xx  
> tts


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